A gluten-free diet may reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes in mice, researchers find. The study on mice shows that mothers who stick to a gluten-free diet can lower the risk of type-1 diabetes in their offspring.

According to the researchers at the University of Copenhagen, adhering to a gluten-free diet eliminates the risk of developing diabetes mellitus in mice. However, they believe that this association can be applicable in humans as well.

Over one percent of the Danish population suffers from type 1 diabetes, which is one of the highest global rates. The researchers hope that the disease can be prevented through simple changes in one’s diet.

Assistant professor Camilla Hartmann Friis Hansen from the Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, said in a statement, “Preliminary tests show that a gluten-free diet in humans has a positive effect on children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. We therefore hope that a gluten-free diet during pregnancy and lactation may be enough to protect high-risk children from developing diabetes later in life.”

The study supports previous claims that a gluten-free diet is beneficial for type 1 diabetes.

Professor Karsten Buschard from the Bartholin Institute at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, a study co-writer, said in a statement, “This new study beautifully substantiates our research into a gluten-free diet as an effective weapon against type 1 diabetes.”

Experiments showed that gluten-free diets altered the intestinal bacteria in the mother and her babies. These bacteria are important for the development of one’s immune system and type 1 diabetes.